Online Outdoors Gear Store

A brief word from our sponsors:

Rocky Mountain Trail is your one stop shop for all your camping, hiking, or any outdoors activity need. Their product range from backpacks, tents, snowshoes, sleeping bags, sunglasses, gloves, and clothing…whatever your outdoor needs, Rocky Mountain Trail carries it. They have a very extensive product line and offers different brands like Jansport, Oakley, Dakine, Tubbs, Columbia, etc.

Whether you’re shopping for your next camping or hiking trip, or whether you’re just the type who likes to have tough and durable products, you can find something to your liking on Rocky Mountain Trail. Rocky Mountain Trail also doesn’t only offer hiking backpacks but they also carry school backpacks, sling backpacks, mesh packs, etc. Shop by brand or category, finding products is easy and navigating Rocky Mountain Trail’s website is a breeze. You can browse their product individually or if you already know what you want you can search for that specific product using their store search.

Rocky Mountain Trail offers very competitive prices plus you can get an additional ten percent discount by using their promo code “winter” or if your orders exceed 35 dollars, shipping is free. So prepare for your family camping trip early and make use of their promo code before it expires.

Overview: Canon Pixma MX850

Just recently announced, the Canon Pixma MX850 is an all-in-one printer for your home or small office. Since it IS an all-in-one printer, expect the Canon Pixma MX850 to be bulky, but its design is sleek and curvy.

FEATURES:

The Canon Pixma MX850 has printing, faxing, scanning, and copying capabilities, and a built-in Ethernet port so you can share it throughout your home or in your office. It also has an automatic document feeder so you can scan both sides of a document. What might make the Canon Pixma MX850 a printer worthy of your office is that it can scan and print at the same time so using it in conjunction with the automatic document feeder means faster copying and scanning of files. The Canon Pixma MX850 would be a great investment rather than buying a separate copying machine if your office or home only needs few documents copied once in a while.

There's also no need to attach the printer to your PC in order to crop scanned images as you can erase frames around the scanned document right on the Canon Pixma MX850 control panel, thanks to its large 2.5 inch LCD display which can view scanned documents.

Aside from being mainly for office use, the Canon Pixma MX850 can also be a powerful photo printer. Canon has incorporated its five color individual ink system on this all-in-one-printer so it is capable of resolutions up to 9600 x 2400 color dpi. The Canon Pixma MX850 also allows you to directly print your pictures straight from your memory cards or PictBridge compatible digital cameras.

CONCLUSION:

With all that features and if Canon stays true to their claims: Quickstart feature that will allow you to start using the Canon Pixma MX850 in a matter of seconds and their claimed 21 second print speed for a 4 x 6 borderless colored photo, then the Canon Pixma MX850 will be a welcome addition to any home office.

WHERE TO BUY:

Shop CNET to compare Printers specs and prices side-by-side.

Cheapest prescription Glasses online

A brief word from our sponsors:

Great Discovry:$ 8 Prescription Glasses From Zenni Optical.

Yep, you've read it right, only $8 for prescription glasses! And this is not your ordinary prescription glasses, some of ZenniOptical's prescription frames are stylish and can compete with branded and expensive frames. These frames are ZenniOptical's own manufactured framed and they sell it directly to their customers so you can be sure that you're getting low cost frames.

Yes! 3.2 Roadster

Another German sports car maker hopes to make a mark in the American market with the Yes! 3.2 Roadster. The Yes! 3.2 Roadster is reminiscent of the Porsche design but with more sharper lines. The Yes! 3.2 Roadster is a two-seater sports car with 3.2ltr V6 motor and 255 hp. This 890kg roadster can accelerate to 60 m/h in 4.8 seconds. If you want more power, there's the Yes! 3.2 Roadster Turbo with 355 hp which can launch its 930 kg body to an amazing 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds.

There's no word as to when the Yes! 3.2 Roadster will be available but dealers will announced at the end of February.

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Skyfire: New Windows Mobile Browser that offers full web browsing

If the iPhone has the Safari, Windows Mobile devices have--Skyfire, sort of. Skyfire for Windows Mobile has not been formally released yet and the beta testing has not yet been underway, as far as I know, right now, it's just a concept. Skyfire introduced the concept of a full web browser for the Windows Mobile phones at the Demo 08. The idea is that this web browser can have access to any website using their windows mobile smartphones or PDA including websites with Flash, advanced Ajax, Java, etc. This mobile browser would also allow users to watch YouTube videos on the real website and not on the mobile version.

This is just something that windows mobile users cannot miss and would make their devices truly compete with the iPhone. You can sign up for the private beta here. Currently open for US residents with US mobile phone number.


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knfbREADER Mobile: Cell phone software for reading to the blind

K-NFB Reading Technology has announced that their reading software for the blind is now available for the Nokia N82 mobile phone. The software is called the knfbREADER Mobile. This would truly revolutionized the way blind and visually impaired people interact with their environment. According to the press release, users can actually take pictures of printed materials and it would be read to them while visually impaired users can enlarge and highlight printed materials using the phone's display.

The software includes Kurzweil's intelligent image processing software to that images captured on the Nokia N82 would be further enhanced so it can be easily converted to text to be read by the software.

Some features of the knfbREADER mobile are:

• Ability to read from books, articles, labels, including bills and memos.
• Ability to recognize US printed currency
• Highlights text and read it out loud
  
• Can navigate text by sentence, word, or character.
• Transfer files to PC or braille readers
  

Website Review: Heavenly Couture

Being stylish doesn’t have to come at a steep price you can actually have that Hollywood look and it doesn’t have to cost you beyond fifty dollars. Heavenly Couture is a website that has everything at $17.95 or almost eighty five percent off the retail prices. Heavenly Couture offers a variety of stylish clothes that never runs out of style.

Heavenly Couture offers a very professional website and is easy to navigate. They’ve categorized their clothes per item of clothing (e.g. tops, sweaters, hoodies) so it’s easy to go to exactly which page you’d like to visit. Their prices are unbeatable and as I browse through their clothing line, I have yet to see an item of clothing that’s out of style. If you’re looking for outfits for your teenagers or young adults, this site is the place to go since most of their clothing lines are for junior clothing or teen fashion.

These two clothes are just a sample of their clothing line and how trendy the website’s fashion sense is. If you’re looking for a gift for your teenager daughter and you have no sense of style at all, this website would help you a lot since any item of clothing you choose is always trendy.

Overview: Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS

Looks like we have another stunning point and shoot camera from Canon, The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS. The Canon Powershot SD1100 IS is available in five stunning colors, Rhythm and Blue, Bohemian Brown, Golden Tone, Pink Melody, and Swing Silver...Why Canon or any consumer electronics manufacturer feel the need to make their products' color sound like Lipstick or nail polish color is beyond me, it's not like guys buying the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS will be using those color names specifically.
©2008 natalie1981.blogspot.com

The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS features an 8 mega pixel resolution, 3x optical zoom and a 2.5 inch LCD screen. Other features of the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS includes: face detection, optical image stabilization, and their proprietary DIGIC III imaging processor.

The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS will be available beginning March for $249.99.

Website Review: Weight-loss-diet-help.com

If you’re looking for the best weight loss program but don’t know where to start, www.weight-loss-diet-help.com is a website that may be able to help you.

Weight-loss-diet-help has a list of popular weight loss programs and description about what that diet program is all about. Though the website is helpful in narrowing down your choices without every going to Google and sifting through all your search queries for “weight loss program”, it really doesn’t go into detail or even tries to compare the pros and cons between the different diet programs. It would be nice if they have a testimonial section for each of their listed diet programs so you can make a more informed decision. A forum would also be nice so you can share your experiences with other people.

However, if you have decided which weight loss program is for you, their online coupons would be a nice help. Right now, they have a 25% off Weight Watchers Online coupon that will expire on Jan 31 as well as other coupons for popular weight loss programs like Medifast and South Beach Diet online.

The website also offers some useful articles to help you in your quest for losing weight. The site is still fairly new and I’m sure the owners would add more weight loss programs soon, other than that, it’s still a good place to start when you’re looking for the best diet plans.

Canon EOS Rebel XSi

Looks like Canon is churning out another award winning digital camera for photo enthusiasts: The Canon EOS Rebel XSi. After Canon's success with the Canon EOS Rebel XTi, its follow up, the Canon EOS Rebel XSi also has powerful features underneath its body.

The Canon EOS Rebel XSi has a 12.2 mega pixel resolution, and is the first Canon entry level digital SLR which incorporates the Highlight Tone Priority and High-ISO Noise Reduction functions first introduced in professional level cameras like the EOS-1D Mark III Professional Digital SLR.

The Canon EOS Rebel XSi has host of other functions that photo enthusiasts would surely love. The Canon EOS Rebel XSi is expected to ship in April 2008 and will have a retail price between $799-899.99.



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New York Tours

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The first time I came to the United States, the first State I visited was The Big Apple: New York City. I had some relatives living there and we had to stay with them for a few weeks. We arrived there during the weekday and my aunt and uncle had to work the next day and they promised that they would take us on some sightseeing tours during the weekend but that was like, two days away. Naturally, my sister and I couldn't wait so the next day, we went and toured the city ourselves...I mean, how hard could that be, right? I do speak English. My aunt and uncle were worried and suggested that we join a tour group, so we did.

At first, everything was going great. I got to see museums, the famous Empire State building, but when we got to the Statue of Liberty that was when my blunder started. I thought I have read up on my geography well before I went to the states but boy, was I wrong. Confident that I have my facts right, and eager to see the place where they shot The Rock, I actually asked the guide if we were going to see Alcatraz!! Everyone looked at me and the guide said, “honey, that’s waay over on the other side of the country.” I actually felt my face turn beet red. I get embarrassed easily and being embarrassed for the first time in another country is waay unforgettable.

Anyways, if ever you want to visit New York, Trusted Tours and Attractions has a variety of sightseeing tours that would fit anyone’s liking. Plus, if you sign up for their newsletter, you have a chance to win a GPS. Perfect for your next travel.

Panasonic DMC-LS80

After introducing the world’s longest running alkaline battery, naturally, Panasonic needs to make a product that would make use of that battery, enter the Panasonic DMC-LS80, its newest Lumix digital camera.

The Panasonic DMC-LS80 is powered by two AA batteries and is designed mainly for entry-level use. The Panasonic DMC-LS80 is mainly a compact digital camera with an 8.1 mega pixel resolution, 2.5 inch display, and a 3x optical zoom that features Panasonic’s newly developed LUMIX DC VARIO lens system.

Though the Panasonic DMC-LS80 is an entry level camera, Panasonic has packed it with features that would make any beginners look like professional photographers. The Panasonic DMC-LS80 has a Mega optical image stabilizer that compensates for any handshake during actual picture taking, an Intelligent ISO that would change and adjust shutter speed if it detects that the subject is moving. The Panasonic DMC-LS80 also has auto macro that would automatically change the settings to macro mode when the subject is in close proximity.

The Panasonic DMC-LS80 will be available starting February 2008 in pink, black, and silver colors and has a retail price of $149.95.


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How to choose your Grandfather Clock

So you’ve decided that your house needs new furniture and you’ve decided to get yourself one of those grandfather clocks but out of all the designs, finishes and colour, which one should you choose? First, you need to do your homework before buying and follow this simple guide.

1. Where would you put it. First, know where you will put in your home. Take a look at your home décor and see what colours are prominent and take note of that.
2. Take note of your décor. After looking over your interior design, decide what look you would like your grandfather clock to have, e.g., if your décor is more on the contemporary, traditional or modern.
3. Decide on the finishing. If you’re going for the traditional, you would need to decide whether you would want your grandfather clock to have an oak, cherry, or mahogany finish.
4. Set your budget. If you just want an extra clock in your house, it’s best not to overspend but if you want to buy a grandfather clock so it could be passed down from your family, it’s good to invest on a branded grandfather clock. My grandmother used to have several Howard Miller grandfather clocks in her house, one was passed down to us and it’s still working. Ridgeway or Kieninger clocks would also do.
5. 5. Where to buy. If you don’t have a local store that sells good quality grandfather clocks, the internet is always a good resource. There are several online clock stores on the web, be sure to find one that offers free delivery and in-home setup so that you could save money.

Overview: Sony Ericsson T280

I've recently blogged about how I missed my Sony Ericsson T616 and wished that Sony Ericsson would make phones that are affordable and reliable like my T616. Well, my prayers are answered coz they've released the Sony Ericsson T280.

SPECIFICATIONS:

The Sony Ericsson T280 operates on GSM 850, 900 1800, and 1900 networks. It has a 65k color screen, and is available in silver and black. The Sony Ericsson T280 also has a built in 10MB of phone memory and a built in 1.3 mega pixel camera with 4x digital zoom.

WHAT'S TO LIKE:

Any fan of Sony Ericsson's older models would like the Sony Ericsson T280's simple candy bar design. Though the phone is not exactly stripped down of features, it's still pretty basic and any non techie person would appreciate the user-friendliness of the Sony Ericsson T280. The 1.3 mega pixel camera is an upgrade to the VGA cameras of the older phones and though a 1.3 mega pixel camera is not that powerful in today's camera phone standards, expect to get clear enough pictures to print on 3 x 4 photo papers. The Sony Ericsson T280 also has the capability to playback MP3 music as your ringtones, however, don't expect the Sony Ericsson T280 to double as an MP3 player since it only has a built in 10MB of memory which is shared between your SMS messages and your phonebook, which means you're limited to about 2 to 3 MP3 files, and it has no expandable memory.

Though you can't play MP3 music on the Sony Ericsson T280, you can pass the time by listening to your favorite FM station or play java games. Other applications available on the Sony Ericsson T280 includes: Alarm clock, calculator, calendar, phone book, stopwatch, tasks, and timer.

For those looking for a simple camera phone, the Sony Ericsson T280 is something to look forward to. And if you're looking for a stripped down phone without a camera, try to look out for the Sony Ericsson T270.

Overview: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W170

The Sony DSC-W170 is the latest addition to Sony's Cyber-Shot W series of digital still cameras. The Sony DSC-W170 features a 10.1 mega pixel and a Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom capable of wide angle views of 28mm-140mm and 30mm-150mm. The Sony DSC-W170 also has a 2.7 inch LCD screen and an eye-level viewfinder.

COOL FEATURES:

For the style conscious, the Sony DSC-W170 will come in sophisticated champagne, red, black and silver colors. Another new feature which was not previously available in the Sony Cyber-shot W series is the smile shutter mode which will automatically capture your subject when they smile. This is a great function to use when taking pictures of your grumpy toddlers.

The Sony DSC-W170 is the perfect camera for those who don't know about camera settings, etc. The Intelligent Scene Recognition would let the camera automatically select the optimal settings for better picture quality. The Sony DSC-W170 can also playback your images in full 1080p resolution by connecting it to your HD TV via HD component input.


ODD FEATURES:

I don't get the improved face detection technology on the Sony DSC-W170. According to Sony's press release, you can select between child priority or adult priority and the camera will automatically detect the faces and optimize exposure, focus, etc. I mean, I get what a regular face detection technology is for, but why prioritize between a child and adult? I can only think of one class of persons who might find this technology useful--pedophiles. I mean, come on! Do you really need that function on the Sony DSC-W170, let alone ANY camera?

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY:

The Sony DSC-W170 will be available in April for $300.


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New Ad Network that pays per page view

Your regular blog reading after this brief commercial:

So you’ve made a blog because you’ve heard how it could make tons of money for you but then you’re faced with the dilemma of how to start monetizing your blog. First of all before you can monetize anything from your blog, you need to make sure that it has a steady flow of traffic. Traffic to your blog is your source of revenue, the more people that visits your blog, the more chances of you making money.

After making sure that you already have sufficient traffic flow it’s time to scour the web for money-making opportunities, but how? Well how do TV networks earn from their shows—through advertising of course. There are a lot of ad networks on the net. Google Adsense is the most popular however the least profitable if your website can’t carry doesn’t have traffic in the thousands. Adsense relies on a per click basis which means the only way for you to make money is when people click on your ads. Other advertising networks also pay on a per click basis.

If your website is pretty new or drives in a lot of traffic but you don’t get much from Adsense because only few of your visitors click on your ads, it’s time to look for an ad network that pays for each visitor and not on a per click basis. Net Audio Ads is a new ad network that pays you per page views because they deliver their advertisement through a five second audio ads. You can also earn through their affiliate program which is only free till the 1st of February, after that, they will no longer accept affiliates for free.

The LG Viewty now in Silver

LG's top of the line camera phone, the LG Viewty now sports a dark silver color. If you think that the black LG Viewty is just TOO iPhone like, you might want to try to opt for the dark silver color in order for your LG Viewty to not be mistaken as an iPhone (God forbid!).

Come to think of it, with the LG Viewty's dark silver color, it's back now looks more like a digital camera. For those not in the know, the LG Viewty is a high end camera phone with a 5 mega pixel resolution, a Schneider-Kreuznach lens, Xenon flash, and capable of recording 120fps of video. It's so good that even the guys at Divx.com recommends it.


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How to get an Edge on your Career

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Let’s face it; with the growing population nowadays, it’s hard to get an edge career wise. In the old days, it was enough that you finish college in order for you to stay ahead of your competition but with more and more people with graduate degrees, staying ahead on your career is a tough job. A lot of employers don’t just look at how many years you’ve spent on the company, they’re wizening up, and they want to get their money’s worth that’s why companies are investing in consultants, or hiring people with a master’s degree.

An MBA is what you need to get ahead of your career, whether it be in Finance, IT, Marketing, or Administration, a person with an MBA degree always gets hired over those with college degrees but more experienced. Getting an MBA isn’t easy specially if you’re already middle management and your time is constantly consumed by your work. That’s where online mba would come in handy. You’ve heard about getting degrees and various certifications online, now you can get your MBA online too. It’s the perfect situation to get out of your middle management position and grab that chance to work on your company’s top level management. Studying your MBA online would not require all of your time, you can devote as much or less time as you can allot, finishing your MBA at YOUR pace.

The Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism

If the RAZR is to Motorola then the Prism is to Nokia. It seems Nokia has taken a page from Motorola's book and is churning out handsets that looks similar in design. Their new handset, the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism edition looks every bit the same as the Nokia 7900 Prism previously announced last year. Like what they did with the Nokia N95 8GB, I don't think that Nokia added anything new to the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism. The front face is similar except for the center action button which is black on the original Nokia 7900 but pink on the new Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism.

I guess another difference of the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism is that its aluminum back cover has graphic designs. Other than that, the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism has the same OLED display, 3G, 2 mega pixel camera, and the living wallpaper.

The Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism will be available during the first quarter of 2008 and has a price of 375 Euros before taxes and subsidies.

How to find the Best Web Host

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I've been thinking about getting my own domain for this blog of mine for some time now though blogger is a very easy interface for me, my blog is expanding and I don't know if blogger could handle that so I need a good web hosting service. There are a lot of web hosting choice and a lot of websites offer their own lists and choices. I think there's no ONE good web host out there, everyone is always churning out great deals and a lot would depend upon your needs. The best way to find a good web host is by visiting forums and asking around about what their web hosts are. Chances are, more users would prefer one web host from the other but at least it would narrow down your choice and you're getting first hand reviews.

Endless Ocean for Nintendo Wii

Here' s another innovative but I'm pretty sure boring game for the Nintendo Wii--Endless Ocean. The game is mainly designed for casual gamers and more like a virtual scuba diving excursion rather than a game. Endless Ocean for the Nintendo Wiii will let you go on an undersea adventure and explore vast ocean so you can look for different animal species, check out coral reefs, and explore shipwrecks and war ships...God! Even describing this game makes me sleepy.

I don't know why they made Endless Ocean a game, I mean, if you just want to explore the sea just turn your TV to the aquarium channel--simple!. I guess it would appeal to the curious and scuba diving fanatics or a game to pass the time but for me, I'd probably be asleep two minutes into the game. Underwater scenes always had that effect on me.

Anyways, for more information visit their website: EndlessOcean.com

Acer AL2016WCbd Review

The Acer AL2016WCbd is a 20 inch widescreen monitor from Acer that doesn't have breath-taking picture quality but at its price, this will do okay for a PC monitor.

ADVANTAGES:

The Acer AL2016WCbd comes cheap, it has a maximum resolution of a1680 x 1050 and has a 20 inch widescreen size so it's perfect for watching DVDs on your PC. The Acer AL2016WCbd delivers good picture quality, no color bleeding, blacks are blacks, no whitish color. It has a DVI input which is great compared to older LCD monitors.

DISADVANTAGES:

The Acer AL2016Wcbd has no HDMI. I saw a not so popular brand on the net which has about the same specs but with HDMI connection, however, I could not see the picture quality to recommend it over this one. I hated the controls specially the power button on the Acer AL2016Wcbd, couldn't really tell if I turned it on, Acer should have gone with more subtle buttons like AOC.

CONCLUSION:

At under $200, the Acer AL2016WCbd is an affordable LCD monitor that would meet any average consumer's needs. Not recommended for gamers though.

How to Choose Your LCD / Plasma TV

So you've finally decided to buy your much coveted flat screen TV but when you go to your local store you're bombarded with hundreds of choice. So which one should you buy? Here's a bunch of things to consider:

1. LCD or Plasma. First things first, you need to choose between an LCD or Plasma TV. If you’re going for a bigger screen, some would suggest Plasma while if you’re settling for under 40 inches, go with LCD. Basically, there’s really no difference in terms of picture quality with Plasma and LCD. However, some Plasma enthusiasts will point out that Plasma TVs can show deeper black colors, have better viewing angles, and is cheaper while LCD enthusiasts will point out that LCDs have higher resolution, consumes less power, and have longer lifespan. So it’s really up to you on which factor is more important to you, however, my personal choice is LCD TV.

2. Screen Size. First, where are you going to use it? If you're going to use it in a large room and maybe use it for your home theater, it's good to go for 40 inches or higher. If it's just for your bedroom or a small room, 30 to 37 inches would do.

3. Which specs to consider?

3.1. Contrast Ratio. Before I did my research on LCD and Plasma TVs, I usually ask the person about the contrast ratio of the TV, it’s probably because it’s the most advertised by the manufacturers however, like many people point out during my own quest to buy an HDTV, the manufacturers tend to overstate their contrast ratio because of lack of testing standard. However, when I’ve compared two Samsung LCD TVs of the same screen size but with different contrast ratios (one was 7000:1 while the other has 8000:1) I did notice a very slight improvement in picture quality of the TV with the higher contrast ratio than the other but that may be true when comparing TVs of the same manufacturer but with different models. Contrast ratios should be considered together with actual comparison of the picture of the LCD /Plasma TV you’re considering.

3.2.Response time. The lower the number means the faster the response time of the LCD / Plasma TV which is good for watching sports, action packed movies or anything that has fast movements involved.

3.3.1080p, 1080i or 720p. These are the formats for delivering digital content. Most 1080p models are expensive compared with LCD / Plasma TVs with 1080i or 720 input. Currently, 1080p is the highest of all resolutions however, there are few content available in 1080p for you to truly enjoy it. If you’re living in a country with no HD broadcasting signal, it’s best just to stay with 720p but if you want to future proof your investment, go with 1080p. However, I don’t really believe in future proofing. Given how technology is constantly changing, I’d give 1080p two years before it’s replaced with another digital format that is better.

3.4.Viewing angle. A wider viewing angle will enable multiple people enjoy your LCD / Plasma TV as it can be viewed from a variety of angles without the picture getting blurry.

3.5.Connections. The basic input you should consider for you to enjoy your LCD / Plasma TV includes HDMI, Composite Video, S-Video, Component Video, VGA, and DVI. Composite video, S-Video and component video are usually standard and can be found even in older TV versions. VGA is the input you need for your PC. Cheaper models only offer VGA but if you’re bent on using or LCD / Plasma TV as your monitor, look for DVI input. DVI is a high quality digital input next to HDMI, if your LCD TV doesn’t have DVI but it has HDMI and your video card on your PC has DVI output, buy one of those DVI to HDMI cables to fully utilize your LCD / Plasma TV capacity. Also look for TVs that have HDMI v.1.3, cheaper models only offer HDMI v1.2 and the difference is significant in terms of video quality.

4. Seeing it with your own eyes. Perhaps the best thing to do when buying your LCD / Plasma TV is to compare the models side by side, using the same videos. Some appliance store uses different videos for different manufacturers. Take a look at the blacks and see if it’s deeper and richer as this implies a higher contrast ratio rather than relying on the manufacturer’s specs.

LCD and Plasma TVs are a great addition to any home. If you choose smartly, you won't be wasting money and be investing in a great technology.

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International Health Insurance

A brief word from our sponsors:

If you're working abroad or if you live in your home country and you just want a good medical insurance, Bupa International can provide you with a comprehensive insurance plan that would suit you or your family's needs. With Bupa International's Individual Health Insurance, you can choose from three levels of coverage, can gain access to over 5,500 participating hospitals and clinics worldwide and their 24 hour multilingual helpline.

Bupa International is the perfect solution for individuals who are frequently changing countries due to their work situation. With over five thousand hospitals worldwide honoring Bupa International's insurance, you never have to worry about your medical bills again.

Harley-Davidson FLSTSB Softail Cross Bones

Check out this cool new motorcycle from the King of Motorcycle makers, the Harley-Davidson FLSTSB Softail Cross Bones. God, I just LOVE Harley-Davidson. For me, it's the ultimate king of the road and it I don't know why but every time I see someone riding one, it never fails to make my head turn in their direction. The Harley-Davidson Softail Cross Bones is sure to be another head turner. The design is reminiscent of those bike commonly used by open road bikers but more polished and refined.

The Harley-Davidson FLSTSB boasts of a Black andPolished Twin Cam 96B powertrain, unique Softail suspension, and a 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission. The Harley-Davidson FLSTSB Softail Cross Bones motorcycle also has a 5 gallon fuel tank.

Harley-Davidson FLSTSB Features and Specs:

• FLSTSB Cross Bones features:
• Rigid-mount, 1584 cc Twin Cam 96B balanced engine
• Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
• Gloss Black painted Springer front end with chrome springs
• Chopped front fender with striping
• Bobtail rear fender with striping
• Laced Steel front and rear wheels with Gloss Black painted rims
• Half-round old-school foot boards
• Horseshoe oil tank with Harley-Davidson patent badge
• Gloss Black mini ape-hanger handlebar
• 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission
• Gloss Black cat-eye tank console with new speedometer face
• Gloss Black round air cleaner cover, oil tank and rear fender supports
• Distinctive five-gallon fuel tank with hand-laced leather tank panel and
• striping
• 200 mm rear tire
• Black powder-coated engine with polished rocker box covers and pushrods and untreated fins
• Straight shot exhaust with chrome slash-cut mufflers
• Adjustable sprung solo seat with leather lacing
• 26.6-inch seat height
• Optional Smart Security System

Fairs and Festivals schedule

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If you're an event planner and you're looking for a website to submit your events or if you're a crafts vendor and you want to see the next fair nearest your location, you should check out FairsAndFestivals.net. FairsAndFestivals.net can provide you with a detailed Fairs, Festivals, Craft Show Vendor Calendar. You can access their basic listing of events for free and if you want to see the full detains like booth fees, contact information, etc, they charge a minimum membership.

If you think about it the membership fee is negligible compared to the wealth of information that would be available to you in order to promote your events or to promote your crafts.

Nokia 1209: Newest low-end phone from Nokia

The Nokia 1209 is the other phone recently released by Nokia aside from the Nokia 2600 Classic. Though the features on this device is pretty basic, there are added features which I haven't seen in other Nokia Phones. One of the new features that the Nokia 1209 has is pre-paid tracker, a cost-tracking application, and the multiple phonebook. The pre-paid tracker on the Nokia 1209, I assume, keeps track of your pre-paid balance if you have a pre-paid simcard.

The Nokia 1209's multiple phonebook allows five people to store their own contacts (up to two hundred contacts) on just one cell phone.

The Nokia 1209 will be available in the second quarter of 2008 for 35 Euros.

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Nokia 2600 Classic now available

Nokia has recently launched two new low-end phones and one of these phones is the Nokia 2600 Classic.

The Nokia 2600 Classic doesn't offer much in terms of features except that you can customize your phone with Nokia's Xpress-on covers which could appeal to the fashionable but budget conscious individuals. The Nokia 2600 Classic, unlike other low-end phones previously released has the capability of using MP3 files as ringtones. A VGA camera and a built-in FM radio are also some of the added bonus of the Nokia 2600 Classic.

According to the leading mobile phone manufacturer, the Nokia 2600 Classic is already available to almost all of their key markets with the starting price of 65 Euros before subsidies and taxes.

Bose In-Ear Headphones Review

I had to replace the earphones on one of my recently purchased MP3 players as the sound quality of the headphones that came with it was crap. I tried the Bose In-Ear Headphones since I heard a lot of good things about Bose and their home theater sound system is really great.

ADVANTAGES:

The Bose In-Ear Headphones didn't disappoint in terms of sound quality. There's the richness and crispiness in the sound that was previously missing when I used the headphones that came with my MP3. The Bose In-Ear Headphones also has a pretty good design. The Bass sound is pretty amazing.

DISADVANTAGES:

I guess the first disadvantage of the Bose In-Ear headphones is its price. I know there are much cheaper alternatives but a friend of mine said that the Bose In-Ear headphones has the same sound quality when compared to the headphones he bought for a cheaper price. The Silicon tips fits perfectly on the ears, however, when not in use, there's a tendency to lose the tips. I have already lost the silicon tips several times but thankfully, I always found it on the floor somewhere.

CONCLUSION:

The Bose In-Ear Headphones is a great headphone for those looking for great bass sounds on their headphones and for those who can afford it. Otherwise, you can find other alternatives in stores that are a little bit cheaper.

Gadgets in TV Shows: CSI Las Vegas Season 8 Episode 11

This gadget that we spotted comes from CSI Las Vegas, Season 8 Episode 11. I forgot what the title was but it was the one with the cowboy and all that bull riding. When the cowboy was in the morgue and Catherine and that assistant in the morgue took off the cowboy's boots, we see a bunch of things come out and one that fell out was a cellphone. The guy quickly grabbed it and it was too quick for anyone to really notice but I've managed to get a screenshot and here it is below.



So what kind of cellphone is it? Well, judging from the M logo and the thin style, it's a Motorola Razr phone but since Motorola probably released a couple of RAZR models, which one is it? Well, from the big camera lens in the front and the little opening below the Motorola logo, it's a Motorola RAZR V3.



The Motorola RAZR V3 is a very popular model, I don't know whether it's because Motorola has been sponsoring most of the TV shows in the US but I've managed to catch of a glimpse of the Motorola RAZR phones in TV shows as well as in movies.

Well, since half of America probably owns a Motorola RAZR, I won't go into much detail, just that this one is pretty much standard with a 1.3 megapixel camera. Nothing really awesome but it's a decent and solid phone. If I were you, better get the new RAZR2 models.

Free Emoticons

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SweetIM is a cool new plugin for Internet Explorer that would allow you to spice up your online conversations with cool emoticons and smileys. While most messengers, webmails, forums, blogs and spaces would allow you to add their own smileys and emoticons, theirs are just plain boring; it’s small, not animated, and doesn’t have any sound.

SweetIM’s emoticons are fun to use since SweetIM’s smileys are animated and entertaining, guaranteed to make the person you’re conversing with online to smile. SweetIM is unobtrusive and will sit nicely on top the toolbar of Internet Explorer. It’s easy to install plus, there are no annoying pop-ups or spyware and adware that usually comes with free downloads.

I had a little trouble with SweetIM’s interface. I initially thought that when you click on the smiley that you like, it will automatically insert itself on the forum topic but you actually have to choose which service you’re going to use SweetIM (ie, forum or email) then you have to copy and paste their code unto the web page. But other than that, I have had no problems using SweetIM.

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New Sleeves for the MacBook Air

Ah yes, you know how popular a product is when even though it's not available in the market yet, you now have companies selling accessories for it. Though the MacBook Air is not scheduled to be released for another week, Belkin has announced that they have new notebook sleeves for the MacBook Air.

According to Belkin, their notebook sleeves won't add to the Macbook Air's slim profile and is available in a slim-fit sleeve, leather/neoprene sleeve, and just the standard neoprene sleeve.

Belkin's neoprene sleeve for MacBook Air will be available in March 2008 while the Belkin slim-fit sleeve and leather/neoprene sleeve for MacBook Air will be available in May 2008.

Gateway M-Series and T-Series Notebooks get a makeover

Gateway has announced that their 15.4 inch M-Series and their 14.1 inch T-Series Notebooks will get new colors and design. The Gateway M-Series and T-Series is now available in Merlot Silver and Arctic Bloom.

The Arctic Bloom design features wildflowers on an icy turquoise blue background while the Merlot Silver is just---silver.

Ask your favorite retailer about the new colors.

Cheap red cell phones from AT&T

AT&T is encouraging you to go red this Valentine's Day with their $99.99 promo pricing on three red handsets, the LG Shine, Samsung Blackjack II, and the Blackberry 8310 Curve.

Give your Techie girl/boy the best gift this Valentine's Day--a cellphone! Flowers and candies are so overrated these days, I'm sure they would love you for it...I know i will!

AT&T's $99.99 red handset promo is only available till February 14.

How to Start Your Music Career

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The site has a lot of resources, from articles, interviews, guides, etc. The site is ran by multi-Grammy award winner and head of the Music Industry Studies department at Loyola University, John Snyder so you know you’re getting tips from the best. So jumpstart your music career now and know everything there is to know and find your way around the music industry.

Gadgets in TV Shows: Prison Break Boxed In

So I've decided to do a new segment on my blog called Gadgets in Movies/TV Shows wherein I attempt to identify the models of the gadgets used in a particular movie or show in case you're interested in buying the same one. First up, we have the recent episode of Prison Break which is boxed in. As you can see, Lincoln has a mobile phone which looks like a Blackberry, there's no doubting the QWERTY keypad and the design but which model is it?


Based on the back side of the device and the color of the QWERTY keyboard (see encircled portion), this device is a Blackberry 8700.



It's a fairly old model of the Blackberry, released in 2004 and is probably obsolete by now which means you probably won't get the chance to buy the same model, but you could opt for a newer model of the Blackberry like the Blackberry Pearl and the 8300 Curve which as a built-in digital camera.

Credit Photo: MobileGazette.com

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Creative Zen Review

The Creative Zen is a sleek portable MP3 player that can play videos, audios, and unprotected music files. It's an update to the Zen Vision except that the Creative Zen doesn't have the big capacity of the previous Vision. It only comes in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacity.

SPECIFICATIONS:

The Creative Zen is a flash based player with a 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacity and a SD card expansion slot. It also has a FM radio player, 2.5 inch screen, built in voice recorder, weighs around 2.3 oz and capable of handling AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, and Audible file formats.

ADVANTAGES:

Compared with the new generation of iPod mini, the Creative Zen has a larger screen, about 2.5 inch which makes watching videos a lot better compared with smaller screens. The screen is capable of outputting 16.7 million colors and though not as rich in color as the iPod mini's screen, it is capable of delivering good quality videos. The Creative Zen has a slim card design and it actually reminds me of the back of a digital camera. What is great about the Creative Zen is that although its capacity has been greatly reduced from the previous Zen Vision, it is a flash based player which means you can add as much memory as you like and transfer it from one flash player to another. Sound quality on the Creative Zen is great in whatever genre of music.

DISADVANTAGES:

What I hate most about the Creative Zen is the earphones that comes with it. Like the iPod's earphones, it's total crap and you're better off buying a high end earphone. The buttons are also a little bit hard to work with and unresponsive, or maybe it's just that I got used with touch sensitive interface---maybe not, there's a click sound with every button push that made me think of cheap plastic toy. Another disappointment about the Creative Zen is that is it has no SD card integration, simply put, it means that songs stored on your SD card are not automatically read, you have to browse your SD card and then manually play your files. Why make a flash based player when there's no SD card integration?!

CONCLUSION:

With that said, I have to say that the Creative Zen is a pretty decent affordable player.

OTHERS TO CONSIDER:

Sandisk Sansa View - also a flash-based player

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How to install Phone Pad on WM6

If you've recently upgraded your device to WM6 from the previous WM5 version, you probably know that the WM6 ROM does not have the phone pad as an input option. The phone pad has the similar alphanumeric buttons/keys as a regular phone which is a good way for fast texting with one hand on your PDA phone.

Though Microsoft has removed the Phone pad from WM6, there's a way to reinstall it on your device.

1. First you need to download the cab files here.
2. Next you need to extract the rar files in your computer. Right click the file and copy the cab files
3. After extracting and copying the cab file, connect your WM6 phone to your PC, select explore, then paste to your desired destination.
4. On your WM6 phone, go to the destination folder where you transferred the cab file then tap on it.
5. Select where you want to install the program (storage card or phone memory, doesn't make any difference where)

Done! You have now installed the phone pad on your WM6 phone.

Credit to: Prsnow at XDA-developers.com for the cab files.

Toshiba's Last Ditch Effort: Cut HD DVD price in half

I don't know whether Toshiba's decision to cut the price of their HD DVD players in half is their way to combat Warner's announcement of going Blu-ray exclusive or more of a Closing sale, a way to get rid of their HD DVD stock and cut their loses.

As of January 13, 2008, the Toshiba HD DVD HD-A35 which was originally $499.99 is now $299.99, the Toshiba HD-A30 is now $199.99 from the original price of $399.99, and the Toshiba HD-A3 is now $149.99.

This could be Toshiba's last ditch effort to woo customers, however, I don't know how many people would buy HD DVD if the titles they're after is on Blu-ray. Who knows, the format war may not be over, if Sony is too overconfident and don't lower the prices of the Blu-ray players, mass action by consumers wherein all would buy HD DVD would force studios to produce HD DVD Titles and thus swinging the format wars in Toshiba's direction (like that would happen). We'll just have to wait and see if anyone would buy into Toshiba's half price sale.

G-RAID mini, the 1 Terabyte portabe storage drive

After announcing the G-Drive Mini Triple 500, G-Technology is at it again and is the first company to introduced a 1 Terabyte (1TB) portable storage drive, the G-RAID mini. Like the G-Drive Mini Triple, the G-RAID mini also has a Firewire 800, Firewire 400 and USB 2.0 interface.

The G-RAID mini offers lightning fast transfer speed thanks to its RAID 0 and Firewire 800. It will also be available in March 2008 with no pricing announced yet.

G-DRIVE mini Triple 500

G-Technology has recently unveiled the G-Drive Mini Triple 500, the world's first 500GB 2.5 inch portable external hard drive. The G-Drive Mini Triple 500 features Firewire 800, Firewire 400 and USB 2.0 ports and is mainly designed for Mac Users, hey, it was unveiled at the Macworld after all.

The G-Drive Mini Triple 500 is HFS+ formatted and Time Machine ready, has an aluminum enclosure, and an internal cooling system. Though it is designed mainly for the Mac market, Windows user can also use the G-Drive Mini Triple 500 since it comes with both Mac OS and Windows drivers.

The G-Drive Mini Triple 500 will be available in March, no pricing has yet been set for the device.

Online Shopping for Surfboards

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The website's board bags are organized under board socks, day bags, and travel bags with submenus for you to further choose board bags that fit your surfboard. The website's design has a pleasing appeal, however, the custom surfboard page is not totally finished. But once it does, the SurfboardWarehouse.com would probably be the hottest spot to hangout for beach surfers on the net.